Tigers rookies dress as Cowboys cheerleaders
Fox Sports Southwest
September 27, 2012
If the Detroit Tigers fail to make the playoffs, at least two of their rookies might be able to find work in Dallas when the season is over.
On Thursday, as the Tigers headed to Minnesota for their final road trip of the season, the team’s rookies had to go through a common baseball tradition of dressing up for their final flight.
They had to dress up as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders.
And while this tradition has been around for some time, the ugly truth of it is just now starting to become common knowledge . . . thanks to Twitter.
Unfortunately for Tiger rookies Avisail Garcia and Brayan Villarreal, the world now knows what they would look like if they were members of America’s Sweethearts.
Here’s something to keep you busy for a while: lots and lots and lots of NFL cheerleader photos.
(Yes there’s some overlap, but you’ll get over it.)
KSDK.com (misc teams)
Huffington Post (misc teams)
WFAA.com (Cowboys Cheerleaders)
Inside SoCal (Sea Gals)
Fox Sports Ohio (Ravens Cheerleaders)
AZstar.net (misc teams)
CBS Detroit (Misc teams. HUGE versions of these photos are available, if you can figure out how to get to them)
News Observer (misc teams)
Fox Sports Southwest (Cowboys Cheerleaders – a few seasons mixed together)
Coed Magazine (Broncos Cheerleaders)
GoUpstate.com (misc teams)
By Andrew Soong
The Suburban Newspaper
September 26th, 2012
The Montreal Alouettes Cheerleaders are not just a few pretty faces shaking pompoms on the football field’s sidelines.
“We are the link between the stands and the football field,” said Als’ Cheerleaders’ Coordinator Annie Larouche.
“We are also the ambassadors for the team and represent the team when the players can’t.”
The 32 members of the Alouettes cheerleaders are chosen from as many as 200 applicants annually from around Montreal drawn from various professional backgrounds contrary to pop culture. Returning cheerleaders are also subject to try-outs as well keeping the team sharp with the skills for on and off the football field.
According to Larouche cheerleaders must be “dedicated between February to November with solid dancing skills and energetic personality.”
“I have been dancing since I was three-years-old and this is challenging with dancing,” said four year veteran Als cheerleader Marjorie who is also a mechanical engineer. “The kids are always happy to see you and you get to interact with fans.”
Practices are mandatory over the course of their season with the Als and can go late into the evenings as the squad practices and perfects their routines. All CFL cheerleading teams are showcased at each Grey Cup even if their team does not travel to the final. According to Larouche “everybody wants to be part of the team including practice.”
“I danced with the team until one-week before I gave birth and we have another member who still helps out even though she’s pregnant,” said Larouche about the commitment of members of the team. “It may not be cute, but we still dance.”
In addition to their practices and participation at games the cheerleaders interact with the community at large. Members of the cheerleaders often take part in the outreach programs offered by the Als’ organization including visiting schools with the “Back to School with CN and the Montreal Alouettes.” According to Marjorie “it’s always nice to make at least one little kid happy.”
Angela Ocampo was a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader from 2001 to 2003. These days, she’s the Media Gypsy, blogging about pop culture to the masses.
Yesterday she wrote all about her experience at this year’s Miami Dolphins Cheerleader reunion. See what she had to say (and check out some photos) right here!
The worker bees at StLouisRams.com have been busily updating the teams cheerleader pages. So far the uniform photos are up. I expect the profile information is coming soon. Click here to check it out!
Shea Peters
Examiner.com
September 24, 2012
Brooklyn has a new basketball team, but what’s making news are the cheerleaders…and their uniforms. The Brooklyn Nets open against the New York Knicks on November 1st at the borough’s new Barclays Stadium, while the “Brooklynettes” debut their new street-inspired uniforms. Complete with knee-high boots, fingerless gloves, and girl group attitude, the uniforms remind us of “The Fly Girls” of TV’s In Living Color fame.
“The uniforms are feminine and strong,” said the costumes’ designer, David Dalrymple, who has worked with designer Patricia Field, collaborating on costumes for Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada. “This isn’t palm trees and sunshine. It’s New York City, and it’s Brooklyn. It’s a different sensibility. We go hard,” Dalrymple says.
The Brooklynettes collection consists of seven uniforms, all in the team colors of black and white. “They have a jumpsuit, a neoprene scuba blazer with sequin leggings, a little cropped warm-up jacket, and painted sequin leggings,” Dalrymple told the Post.
“I do a lot of clothes for people in music,” said Dalrymple, who has designed costumes for Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige. The designer also fitted Britney Spears in her infamous nude rhinestone bodysuit for the MTV Music Awards in 2000. “For these costumes, we needed things that these women can dance and move in, but we wanted to bring in street elements. We needed to find that bridge of street fashion that can actually work on the court.”
By Dan Benton
Giants 101
September 24, 2012
The New York Jets have the Flight Crew, the New York Knicks have the Knicks City Dancers and even the New York Rangers have cheerleaders. The New York Giants? Not so much. But one group, the Gotham City Cheerleaders, are aiming -in part- to change that.
If you’re one of the many Giants 101 readers who’ve attended one of our tailgates with The Fan Van this season, chances are you’ve seen these ladies perform. But in an effort to get a better understand of just who they are and what they aim to do, Giants 101 recently sat down with Ana De Villegas, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, who now serves as the Founder and Executive Director of the Gotham City Cheerleaders, formerly known as the NY UnOfficials.
Giants 101: “Share a little bit about the Gotham City Cheerleaders, your history and how you came to be, as well as the development of the name “New York UnOfficials.”
Ana De Villegas: “The NY UnOfficials launched in September of 2011 as the first cheer squad to independently support our home team, the NY Giants. We currently (and have never) had any affiliation with the franchise or any affiliate.
Our name developed from that fact – we are an “unofficial” cheer squad and we perform and support Big Blue and other teams out of the passion we have for dance and of course, sports.
The Gotham City Cheerleaders (GCC) is a new team that was formed to focus on more community outreach as well as variety performances in the tri-state area. We no longer go by the name ‘NY UnOfficials.’ ”
Giants 101: “But one of the ultimate goals is to eventually become the official cheerleaders of the New York Giants?”
Ana: “It is a one of many goals and dreams. If the opportunity came where we could present our idea of what ‘official’ cheerleaders would do for the New York Giants, we would be beyond grateful. I think many people are surprised to find out that we are not pushing to be on the sidelines of every game. Sure, that’s an amazing experience and part of the game-day spirit of football. However, we have a different approach to how the tradition of cheerleading can coincide with a team whose approach to the many facets of the game-day experience are more conservative than most.”
Giants 101: “So just a coincidence that your colors are Giants blue?”
Ana: “A beautiful coincidence! Our team is a representation of the American tradition of football and sports entertainment. We believe that as such, our colors of red, white and blue are the best colors. Yes, we carry a unique sense of pride that we are in the entertainment capital of the world, New York City. The Dallas Cowboys may have done a great job in calling themselves America’s Team, but dedication, excellence and hard work that makes up our beautiful state is what we believe makes us America’s Dream Team. The saying is right – ‘If you make it here, you can make it anywhere.’ ”
Giants 101: “Are you all Giants fans or does the fandom vary from girl to girl?”
Ana: “Absolutely. While the nature of our work naturally brings talented woman who have a strong interest in sports and sports entertainment, our dancers are first and foremost, bleeding-blue Giants fans! We actually have fun quizzes and trivia moments during practices to see who’s the biggest fan of all. Who knows… we may have our own Fantasy League soon.”
Giants 101: “Now, we saw you and spent some time with your team at a recent tailgate outside of MetLife Stadium, but the ladies take part in far more events than just tailgates. What other events do they perform and how might someone contact you to set up an appearance?”
Ana: “We focus on events/organizations that promote the importance of A) athletics and team-related sports B) charity organizations and C) youth programs.
We also perform for a variety of events such as corporate parties, sporting events and parades. This summer we performed for the NYC Dance Parade and performed on stage at Thompson Square Park in an effort to promote the importance of dance education.
Our variety shows have become such crowd-pleasers that we have also been asked to perform at birthday parties and Mitvah’s, which are always a lot of fun and full of energy! Those are probably some of our most memorable moments as the hosts never know we are coming and it’s always a great surprise.
There are many events where we don’t necessarily perform and simply make appearances to donate our time and good will to charity organizations. We recently helped to hand out water bottles and towels at the annual Lima 5K at MacArthur Airport, which helps raise money for Veterans and those affected from 911. This fall we will be helping out in 2 different soup kitchens as well as working with the Special Olympics November events.
Organizations and individuals interested can visit our website for more information on booking events or they can email us at gothamcitycheerleaders@gmail.com.”
If you’d like to learn more about the Gotham City Cheerleaders, attend one of their showings/events or book an appearance, you can check out their official website. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
We’d like to thank Ana for taking the time to chat with us, and we greatly look forward to them joining another Giants 101/The Fan Van tailgate in the near future.
Dr. Jays
September 24, 2012
The days of colorful pompons, mannequin makeup and cheesy grins are over, according to the new Brooklyn Nets cheerleaders.
Stiletto boots, studded fingerless gloves, zippers, latex, lots of black and “stretch leatherette” is the tough and sexy look for the Brooklynettes, who will make their home at the team’s new Barclays Center venue.
“The uniforms are feminine and strong,” says the costumes’ designer, David Dalrymple. Dalrymple is best known for his work alongside Patricia Field for many years, including creating iconic fashion moments for Sex and the City and The Devil Wears Prada.
“This isn’t palm trees and sunshine. It’s New York City, and it’s Brooklyn. It’s a different sensibility. We go hard,” the designer says.
The new collection for the dancers features seven full costumes and while Dalrymple, 45, had initially designed the red and blue costumes for the Nets dancers in New Jersey, he was hired to give the outfits an edgy makeover to commemorate the team’s move to Brooklyn. “They had an empty closet we had to fill.”
We’ll get the first look at the costumes when the Nets preseason stars next month (the Nets regular-season opener, against the New York Knicks, is at the Barclays Center on November 1).
“For these costumes, we needed things that these women can dance and move in, but we wanted to bring in street elements. We needed to find that bridge of street fashion that can actually work on the court.”
Jordan Osterman
Northfield News
September 24, 2012
A common phrase to promote self-confidence is to say, “Dance like no one is watching you.” That’s easy enough when you’re dancing in front of say, a dozen, 100, or even 1,000 people.
But what about when you’re dancing in front of 50,000 screaming Minnesota Vikings fans on a game day at the Metrodome? That’s exactly what Northfield natives Ting Ting Yang and Michelle Polzin did Sunday as part of the Minnesota Vikings Cheerleaders training camp.
“It has been a blast,” Yang said. “We started in June, and it’s been amazing ever since.”
After trying out with between 130 and 150 other women at an open audition in April, both Yang and Polzin were selected, along with 36 other women, to be a part of the training program.
“It’s a select only group. We have a lot of women interested,” Beth Hauffman of the MVC training program said. “We’re very specific about the ladies we ask to join.”
Working out at least once a week in the program from June through March, both women are being prepared to reach the next level of official Minnesota Vikings cheerleader.
“This is another thing that gives us an opportunity, and helps us refine our skills and techniques to help our chances [of making the official team],” Yang said. “It allows us to strengthen our potential.”
That potential-strengthening is achieved through a rigorous program aimed at preparing participants for the high-level cardio, dance and cheering required of Vikings cheerleaders.
“They give us the hardest workouts you can possibly think of,” Yang said. “We have to push ourselves further and further to our limits.”
All that preparation will lead up to the open tryouts next April, where Yang and Polzin will have another chance to make the jump onto the official team. With all 130-150 people trying out “starting with a clean slate,” both will have an opportunity to use what they’ve learned.
“We try to get them what we call the whole package,” Haufmann said. “We work on dance technique, cheerleading, interviewing skills; we work on professionalism, etiquette, interviewing, poise, as well as the dancing and fitness aspect.”
Yang, a 2005 Northfield High School graduate, was told of the tryouts by her former trainer, Northfield’s Colleen Day – an ex-Vikings cheerleader herself – and recognized a familiar face in Polzin.
“It was wonderful to know I knew someone else going through this with me,” Yang said.
If either are to make the official team, they will take part in an extensive Vikings Cheerleaders schedule that includes hours of practice, makeup, performances and more than 400 public appearances.
Reach Sports Editor Jordan Osterman at 645-1111, or follow him on Twitter.com @NFNJordan.
By: Ebony Horton
Dothan Eagle
September 22, 2012
When the Washington, D.C., Redskins play their first official home game of the season at FedEx Field Sunday, an Ozark native and her family will have a reason to be in the stands.
Troy University graduate Nikki Roberson was selected from more than 300 women to become one of 26 Redskins Ambassadors, an extension of the Redskins cheerleaders that interact with fans in the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone, Touchdown Club, suites and stands during the team’s home games.
Roberson’s brother and parents were expected to fly to Washington Friday in time to watch her perform.
Roberson, a Troy broadcast journalism major and cheerleader who graduated from Carroll High School in 2006, said she learned about the ambassadors while training for her job as an admissions counselor at Strayer University in Washington.
She said in an emailed response that her ambassador experience so far has been “amazing.”
“Overall, I must say, I’m having a blast,” she said.
“Every single time I step in the stadium I feel so blessed and honored to be affiliated with one of the most prestigious organizations in the league. I’ve met some of the most beautiful, intelligent young women. … One can only imagine how amazingly intense this weekend will be!”
Roberson said Redskins ambassadors and cheerleaders are required to either have a full-time job or to be a student. While she is paid to be an ambassador, she said her paycheck as one is not a “livable” income.
Roberson said it was difficult to be away from home at first but that prayer, networking and remembering her purpose for being away calmed her concerns.
Roberson said her ultimate goal is to become a professional cheerleader although being an ambassador is an honor.
“It will take hard work and dedication, but I’m more than determined to reach my goal,” she said.
In addition to her jobs at Strayer and with the Redskins, Roberson said she is also the creator of the fashion/beauty blog, www.lipstickinmycoffee.com, that she said is geared toward empowering women to embrace their beauty and accentuate personal growth.
She said she is still a member of the Church of God by Faith in Ozark but has also joined Reid Temple AME in Washington.
